Volume #1793
Diseases in History The Yellow Fever
Andrew Christie Block B
17.99 US 24.24 CAN
CONTENTS pg.3
pg.5
POPULATION DECREASES
FAMILIES DISSOLVED
You can find out the ways Philadelphia was altered in the summer of 1793 on this page.
The yellow fever was a tragic time period for the families in Philadelphia, find out why on page 5.
pg.4 ECONOMICAL COLLAPSE The economy suffered greatly from the fever, find out how on page 4.
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Everybody got affected by the disease, and almost no area was left unharmed.
Did you know?
POPULATION DECREASES
That the disease had its biggest outbreak in Pennsylvania 1793, but the disease is native to Africa.
The flies buzz around the pit filled with dead bodies, as more bodies are deposited every day. The Yellow Fever in 1793 changed life dramatically in Philadelphia due to the population decreasing from decease and departure, economical impact, and the dissolving of families. Through the summer of 1793 in and around Philadelphia, many lives were lost. Since they were not medically advanced, they could not treat the patients very well. The Yellow Fever decreased the population greatly, because of death and departure. In Philadelphia alone, 5,000 people died from the Yellow Fever, which is 10% of the population. But that doesn’t count the number of people who fled. Many families fled to the countryside where the sickness was not spreading rapidly. When the families would leave, their shop closed and the economy crashed.
ECONOMICAL COLLAPSE The economical impact The Yellow Fever had was huge. Within a few weeks, the market was crashed. Because of the fever, many rich store owners locked up their doors because they could afford to, or moved to their country estate, so if they were the only coffeehouse, then there would be no more coffee. That occurred with many of the richer business owners so many items were not available. Some of the poorer people could not afford to close up shop, so they sent their family away and they stayed behind and the families were dissolved.
The economy in Philadelphia collapsed, leaving many without food or money, adding to the death total.
If you were crazy enough to walk down the disease infested streets of Philadelphia in the summer of 1793, then you would see a closed sign in front of all the shops that could afford to close.
SEPERATION Many families were dissolved because of many reasons that trace their origin to The Yellow fever. Some people lost family members to the fever, while others made a tough decision and decided to bring him to Dr. Benjamin Rush. According to the Harvard University Library Open Collections Program, “He developed a very aggressive approach to treatment, copiously bleeding his patients and administering large quantities of mercury.” That may have worked some of the time, but it could easily go wrong. Many lives were los;t, and families separated, changing life dramatically for many people. The yellow fever was a bad disease turned deadly through the lack of proper sanitation and other reasons. This disease in 1793 changed life by reducing the number of people and upheaving life and the economy as they knew it.The yellow fever was not the first deadly disease to strike humanity, and it won’t be the last.
"The Yellow Fever Epidemic in Philadelphia, 1793." Open Collections Program: Contagion, The Yellow Fever Epidemic in Philadelphia, 1793. Web. 05 June 2017.
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"The Yellow Fever Epidemic in Philadelphia, 1793." Open Collections Program: Contagion, The Yellow Fever Epidemic in Philadelphia, 1793. Web. 05 June 2017